


Storyteller

by 7cinnamonroses



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: At Least For Now!, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Rey Needs A Hug, Rey's Past on Jakku, Snoke Being a Dick, That Awkward Moment When Your Ben Solo is Showing, angsty, canon lore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 21:38:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11906718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7cinnamonroses/pseuds/7cinnamonroses
Summary: Rey had always adored stories. They weren’t new, but he loved the words that she used. Kylo Ren would wait for her to repeat them to him.





	Storyteller

As the last rays of Jakku’s sun disappeared behind endless dunes of hot sand, the children that were sitting around the tiny story-teller with three buns in her hair, began mumbling excitedly. One boy soon claimed having seen an old man that fitted the Peregrine’s description close to his home and a tiny girl insisted that she had seen a man older than she had ever seen in one of the wreckages. He had had white hair and a beard. Most men didn’t live long enough to gain white hair on Jakku, but their little story-teller didn’t know that yet.

The little girl –Rey– smiled for what felt like was the first time in 2 weeks, the duration of her stay on Jakku. Her family had left her here and she already had trouble remembering their faces. However, she kept hearing the same voice every night before falling asleep.

_I’ll come back for you, sweetheart…_

She missed them dearly, but hoped that she might feel better once she had a few new friends. To have someone she could trust and talk to would help her fighting off some of the loneliness that was tearing her little heart apart. The man that they had left her with was not kind, but indeed very scary. Maybe, if she made a friend she might spend some time away from Unkar Plutt and his terrifyingly strong grip that had dragged her away from her family as she called out for them to come back…

“Good story!” came the verdict of one of the elder kids –a human boy around 10, who carried a perpetual dull and empty expression that was disconcerting in a face so young.  

“Does any of you know any stories, too?” Rey inquired eagerly, her hazel eyes shining with excitement. They had liked her story! Pride soared up inside of her, warming her from the inside. For a moment she even forgot that she was rather hungry.

It all came to a halt when she was suddenly met by silence and distrustful stares that appeared to be sizing her up. An uncomfortable heat replaced the warmth of accomplishment and praise. Had she said something wrong?

“An’ if we don’?”, a girl challenged, sounding more aggressive than Rey thought was warranted. Her eyes drifted to the other children and found that none of them appeared to be taken aback by the other girl’s reaction. If anything, they seemed to share the sentiment, none of them leaving Rey out of their sight. Like she was some wild animal, a monster about to attack and snatch them away.ß

“I–… don’t you?” her voice was shaking a bit, nervous from the unanticipated hostility directed at her. She had meant to encourage them! Had she used her words wrong? “I just thought we could trade stories?” she tried again, but somehow she only made it worse because some of them got up with angry expressions on their faces.

“So, we need ter pay fer yer story?” the eldest boy demanded calmly, though his eyes gave away his distrust.

This was going all wrong! She had wanted to make friends, but for some reason that she couldn’t wrap her little head around, they were mad at her. Desperate, the girl attempted to explain herself one more time.

“No, of course not! Just… I thought it might be fun!”

The girl from before scoffed and the rest of them got up and walked away, muttering under their breaths. The boy alone remained, still looking at her.

Rey was tiny, but his incessant staring made her feel even smaller and –even worse stupid. A hot blush of embarrassment coloured her cheeks. The heat began to coil up inside her throat, forcing tears to her eyes.

“Yer won something, yer seys so. Won’ do yer good ter act all innocen’!” he told her, not unkindly. Frowning, he regarded her. “Yer about ter cry?”

Sniffing, she rubbed her eyes in defiance, destroying all evidence of her over pouring helplessness.

“No!” she insisted, stubborn.

“What did yer tell that story fer then?” he pressed on.

“I… I thought we could become friends.” she confessed in a small voice, now both blushing and fighting tears.

The boy was silent and fixed her with a glance that brought a flicker of emotion to his face. It made him look younger than 10, less hardened. A sigh met her ears before the boy rose to his feet.

“Rey– that’s yer name?”

She nodded.

“Yer’ new, so yer can’t know. On Jakku, we ain’t got time fer friends. Nor fer tellin’ stories. Yer lucky ter have Plutt takin’ care of yer. Us others ain’t so lucky. Us ain’t got families. Yer can try with the village-kids, but them are no good. They got families, they don’t like us. Yer best on yer own. Remember that!” with this, he walked away.

Though his words had no ill intend, he might just as well have struck her, because Rey was pitifully unaware of him just meaning well. He really did mean well. As well as an orphan who had to survive on their own could manage to have good intentions. He had never known a different life and had by now hardened himself to a point where few child-like traits influenced his behaviour. To him, Rey lead a life as happy as could be imagined, considering that she lived on Jakku. Getting fed without having to work, having a rather save place to sleep and actually having time to remember and share stories were luxuries beyond his grasp.

She was lucky.

Unkar probably thought her too pretty to ruin her in the sun. It had been like this with some others of the prettier orphan girls and a few of the boys. They got to leave Jakku once they looked enough like adults, never to return. And why would they?! None of them had had a family they’d miss. With Unkar’s attention, he was sure that Rey would share their lot in a few years, wherever those other pretty, unburned, lucky girls and boys had gone…

But Rey wasn’t feeling lucky when she returned to her small designated corner later. She was scared of Unkar Plutt, the fleshy Crolute she had been handed over to. While she knew that not everyone who looked scary was mean, Unkar had turned out to be a brute, devoid of sympathy and the mere notion of kindness. He was like one of those trolls from the stories she knew. He had yelled at her when he had caught her crying. During the day, he left her locked up in a room while he attended to his business and the only food he gave her consisted out of dry bread and veg-meat. He never left her enough to make her feel sated either. In those mere two weeks, she had learnt not to ask for more, even when her belly hurt from hunger. The hunger was easier to suffer than the Crolute’s heavy hand or his cruel jokes and taunting voice.

When she lay down in the small cod that was hers for the night, she cried as softly as possible. Her tiny hands were clasped over her mouth to hold back the sound of her sobs. She missed her family, she was hungry again and she had failed to make friends… wouldn’t be able to make friends.  
The little girl knew that the boy’s words had been true, regarding the town-children. On a few occasions she had attempted to talk to those who lived at Niima outpost with their parents, only to be ignored or mocked by them. Once, a woman had handed her some bread and then shooed her away.

But, why didn’t they understand? She wasn’t an orphan! She had a family who would come back to spirit her away from here. They’d tell her new stories and she’d never come back to Jakku. Rey knew she’d be happy again. So why was she crying?

Curling into herself, she began to tell herself another story.

* * *

_You grew out of telling yourself stories quickly…_

The deep voice had become a perpetual reminder of her inability to shield herself properly just yet. Since she could not fight it, she had decided to ignore it.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on keeping her feelings grounded. It eventually caused him to shut up and leave her alone. For a moment, the young woman heard nothing but the night’s usual noises. The waves were crushing against the nearby cliffs and the wind that swept over and through the old ruins that were scattered all over the small island on Anch-To. Ruffling grass and quick shuffling. The Porgs, tiny, yet surprisingly quick birdlike creatures that Luke shared this island with were probably looking for food and investigated the outer walls of the huts. It was a calm life here.

She had been the first cause for real excitement when she arrived here. The only problem about the Porgs was that they were everywhere. Curious and by now accustomed to human cohabitation they would be in the way, trying to find out what Luke and her were up to. Which was why Master Luke had started to use a weak electric staff to encourage them to make way.

Suddenly, she realised that she had once again failed to empty her mind and rest her thoughts. She could practically hear Luke’s sigh and she grinned. The young woman had a lot to learn before she could be of help to anyone.

Rey’s amusement must’ve been easy to pick up, because the silence inside of her head was interrupted by _his_ deep voice.

 

_Tell me a story, Rey._

It was ironic. She would have given everything to be able to share her stories back on Jakku. No matter how meagre her meals had been as a child, she would have shared them with a true friend.

Now she wished the man who was so determined to gain her attention would leave her be. None of her precious stories were for Kylo Ren.

No matter how gentle his voice became whenever he tried to get her to talk to him. He wanted her attention.

She was sure he did it to find her and Luke.

 

_I do…_

 

_Get out of my head, you spoiled brat!_

He had had a mother to tell him stories. She could easily imagine General Organa reading stories to a child, her warm brown eyes watching a small, pale boy fall asleep. A small, pale boy who didn’t appreciate what he had had.

She still sees Han fall down that bridge every time she closes her eyes, sees Finn, hurt and in a coma.

 

_Please…Tell me a story, Rey…_

He almost begged now but she can’t hear his tone. Only hears his words and sees his father impaled by his lightsaber.

 

_Once upon a time, there was a boy who killed his father…_

 

Their connection goes cold from his sudden withdrawal.

The cold swallows her while she tries to ward it off by tightly closing her eyes.  
Far away from Jakku, she was still so dreadfully cold at night.

**Author's Note:**

> The Peregrine is a legend from Corellia, so this is nothing I came up with.  
> "This ghost was supposedly that of an old man who had been cursed to wander the world for eternity, never being able to find his home." – Wookiepedia
> 
> I started writing this a few months ago but never really got around to take it anywhere.  
> Hope you like it :)  
> Kudos and that little (1) in my Inbox mean the world to me.


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